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This interesting, informative and often light-hearted perpetual calendar offers an event from Catholic history that took place on each date of the year. A brief paragraph explains the event (highlighting many great Catholics people and events from American History) with a "For More Information" bar offering the source of the information (and further reading). Without whitewashing all Catholics as noble (did you know that Dred Scott and the Supreme Court justice giving the majority opinion were both Catholics?), this calendar gives a glimpse of Americans in every walk of life - Hollywood, Sports, Politics - and introduces us to exemplary figures like the nuns who nursed soldiers from the North and South during the Civil War.

This would make a fun family project to share at meal-time and might lead to further "explorations" about particularly interesting entries. It would also make a great gift for a college student, history buff or homeschool parent.

I am always very receptive to this kind of book -- suggestions for activities kids will enjoy completing, factual data presented in a pleasing way, and an author who obviously loves the subject matter. The book recommends the book for children aged nine and up. Sounds like it would be a great resource for homeschoolers, yes?

Well, I think it would be useful for some home bookshelves, but not for all. First, I don’t think the “age 9” is do-able. It seems to me the level of the activities and the text are more suited to a very interested 11- or 12-year-old and up. However, the text contains no pronunciation key for any of the terms, and some of the technical terms do not even have contextual definitions. Although there is a glossary in the back, this too doesn’t tell the reader how to pronounce some of the unusual words and is not an exhaustive glossary – many of the technical terms used in the book are not in the glossary.

Taking into consideration the above shortfalls, this book would still be a useful resource in the homeschool classroom, particularly for a student interested in history or archaeology. The material is written by an author who is very interested in the subject matter. The chapters progress in a roughly chronological way: from “how archaeology works”, through the first peoples, the Ice and Stone ages, the first civilizations (including their economic base), and then on to the Greeks and Romans and the ancient cultures of the New World.

Mr. Panchyk is covering much ground here and so his information is going to be broad-brush rather than fine-point. But this book would be useful as a supplementary resource when studying ancient cultures or to pique the student’s interest in archaeology and help them to follow-up with other resources. For a high school student, this would be a wonderful “elective” to tag onto history class as he goes into detail of how archaeology is done.

This book/kit contains colorful strips of paper printed with the years that can be affixed to a wall-mounted (or board-mounted) timeline. The book provides a chart for how to arrange all the strips of paper so that there is enough room for the hundreds of black and white images of people and events which will comprise the bulk of the timeline. These images are taken from older books and can be "colorized" for a nicer appearance (and a fun project). The images are printed on very heavy cardstock which makes up about half of the very thick spiral bound book. The first half of the book (which, as might be expected, is printed on ordinary white paper rather than cardstock) offers chronological listings (with references to the illustrations, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible) of the people and events for use during construction of the timeline and for reference during history studies. The material covers a lot of detail about Biblical events and people, significant events and people from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, extensive details about the life of Christ and the early church, saints, church councils, heresies, prominent popes, Roman emperors, cultural highlights, battles, major kings and dynasties, crusades, great authors, great works of art and architecture, important explorers, and more. There are separate sections in the book timeline for U.S. Presidents and the Popes to make the book easier to use, but they are designed to be blended into the same timeline for your family.

The front of the book includes some rather extensive lists of recommended Catholic history texts, supplemental history reading and recommended websites.

The package is rather expensive, but many families are finding that, because it is a resource for the whole family that the investment was a worthwhile one. Personally, I very seldom purchase items in this price range (approximately $100). I have to admit that, in addition to using the images for our family's timeline (although we didn't do it exactly the way recommended in the book) I find myself using the reference timeline portion of the book very frequently. It's definitely not a book that will just get left on the shelf!

Inviting the reader in with its black and white illustrations on each page, Great Moments in Catholic History presents one hundred exceptional events in the history of the Catholic Church. Originally published in 1938, each page presents a great moment beginning with the Annunciation and ending with Pope Pius XI's 1937 Encyclical letter on Atheistic Communism. At the end of the book there are 500 quiz questions, 5 for each of the 100 historical events, to review the lessons learned.

This book would be helpful in enriching the study of history with a Catholic perspective. One cannot begin to appreciate history without first understanding the impact of Christ and His church on historical events; The easy-to-read format of this book makes that understanding almost effortless.

The author recommends using this book as a supplement for seventh and eighth graders. However my younger students have benefited from using Great Moments in Catholic History as a read-aloud book. Not only have the children enjoyed learning from our read aloud time, but so have I.

Like many of Neumann Press' books, Great Moments in Catholic History is beautifully bound. The black hardcover is embossed with gold and it is filled with ivory 60-pound paper.

Listening to good quality and content audio recording has been a mainstay for our family: they complement reading alone and reading aloud quite well. We have crossed the country listening to great renditions of Fr. Brown, Jeeves and Wooster, and Huckleberry Finn among many others. My husband commutes at least four times a week to the University 55 minutes away and has been become quite a critic of audio productions. As a matter of fact, we all have become quite sensitive in this matter: it has happened more than once that we have ejected a tape or CD never to play it again.

Although we all agree on Joe Hayes of New Mexico as the all time favorite, we have found that the style of Jim Weiss comes in a close second. In 1989 Jim and Randy Weiss started their company of audio products for children when they found a void in the market for this sort of product: Greathall Productions. Jim is a talented and captivating storyteller, and our family has enjoyed his recordings of classic works for over a decade. From the humble beginning of a few recordings of well-known tales, the catalog now carries dozens of recordings, all of which have received national awards. It states:

We know only that the classics, from Aesop to Shakespeare, from Greek mythology to King Arthur through Dickens and Dumas, were often ignored or presented in a way that radically changed the original stories. We knew from experience, however, that a story well told would ignite a love of learning in a listener. Our goal then, as now, was to instill in children the lifelong love of great literature by telling the stories on a child's level without altering the authors' intent. (...) It turned out that there were millions of people hungry for what we did.

Our family, especially our boys, have listened to Jim Weiss' recordings for years and for the purpose of this review have selected some of their favorites: The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, Heroes in Mythology, Celtic Treasures, Arabian Nights and King Arthur and His Knights. In their wish list we have circled The Queens' Pirate and Galileo and the Stargazers. New productions in this catalog are Thomas Jefferson's America and Romeo and Juliet. The catalog now also offers some book & audio combined sets, including Come on Seabiscuit and Rascal. It also has a section on Weiss's "thoughtfully abridged" recordings of G. A. Henty's works, a historical fiction writer whose reprints are very popular with homeschoolers. Keep in mind that the rule of thumb for Catholics regarding the Henty titles is to stay before the Protestant Reformation, chronologically speaking. Anything around and after the Reformation would not have a Catholic perspective, quite the contrary. (Dover had many titles by G. A. Henty in inexpensive paperback editions; PrestonSpeed Publications has a wider selection of titles, formats, and prices.). Greathall Productions' website has a plethora of information including booking, fundraising opportunities, pictures to print and color, and audio samples. Happy listening!

For parents looking for a guide to use in creating their own history and geography course His Story is ideal. It consists of 20 pages of which about 60% are outlines and is three hole punched and ready to go into your notebook. At first glance it appears overly simple, but actually the author has saved homeschool mothers dozens of hours of foot work by presenting the key points of history in an organized fashion. For example United States history is presented on two levels. The level for grades 5-8 is listed on 2 pages and includes the 36 topics that should be known by children (nicely corresponding with a 36 week school year). Each topic includes a few words describing it and occasionally mentions Catholic facts or people that should brought into the study. For example topic 35 in United States History is "Civil Rights Movement; Catechism 1929-1935". The author also has the material that should be mastered by 5th and 6th graders in bold print to differentiate it from material that should be studied in greater depth in 7th and 8th grade. (The program covers grades 4-8).
Along with the listings the author spends time explaining how to use the outlines and what might be expected from children at different ages. His Story is most well suited for families who like to use thematic or unit studies or who want to use books that they have in their own personal libraries for teaching history and who are creative enough to pull it all together.

I have a houseful of active, writing-resistant sons, and I am always on the lookout for materials that not only encourage my boys to write frequently, but also encourage them to write well. History, Volumes 1 and 2, from Hold That Thought have turned writing in our history studies, and the historical overlaps into science, religion, and the fine arts, into an activity that we all enjoy. The pages produced by the children are original reports that have filled our notebooks and our heads with unforgettable details, while documenting our studies and providing a pleasant means of review. The children themselves are proud that their efforts look so professional and polished. I am thrilled that it is so easy!

Each CD-ROM contains hundreds of files in pdf format that can be easily printed at home on either a PC or a MAC, demanding no flash trips to the copy shop or weeks of pre-planning. Volume 1 covers the highlights of world history from ancient times through the period of European exploration in over 350 worksheets. Volume 2 begins with European exploration, continues with United States history, and concludes with modern world history in over 600 worksheets. Don't be misled by the term "worksheet". These are not fill-in-the-blank worksheets, but more like "picture pages" that include a picture that can be colored as well as lines for the student's writing. Pages feature important biographical characters, events, geographical regions, and even architectural achievements; the range of Who? What? Where? and When? are available. Detailed content lists are available at the publisher's website.

In addition to these picture pages, the CD-ROMs contain many special features. I especially like the "first draft" sheets that are available to help more inexperienced writers with identifying important information that should appear in their reports. One of my boys loves the newspaper-reporter style of some of the historical event worksheets. Suggestions for extension activities and coloring pages are included for some events, and outline maps are another convenience.

Because the contents are extensively indexed and cross-referenced alphabetically and by date, these CD-ROMs can be used equally well by families who prefer textbooks to those who prefer a "living books" approach to those who utilize unit studies. Our family uses the IEW writing method (reviewed elsewhere) with a classical approach to history, and we have found a seamless mesh using these worksheets. Unlike materials that contain preprinted text, there are no interpretations of historical details that require editing or quibbles to reflect our beautiful Catholic faith. The producers of these materials are Christian, and significant religious figures have been included. However, don't expect to find all of the Popes or lesser-known Catholics; more generic pages can be used for these people.

These CD-ROMs make notebooking a pleasure and provide a concrete way to summarize a child's study, using his or her own words and work. The pages can be used to make special topical notebooks, added to a Charlotte Mason-inspired Book of Time, used to enhance daily work or formal assignments, or even included in an annual portfolio. I can also imagine using the sheets in 4-H reporting projects, Scouting reports and merit badge work, co-op classes, or even using the pictures to make posters. The liberal copyright allows the contents to be used by the purchaser's own immediate family or for any class that the purchaser teaches, so long as no money is charged for them. Finally, I must note that the customer service that I received was exceptional. My order was received very, very quickly, and a minor problem was straightened out immediately and far more generously than I have experienced before. All things considered, Hold That Thought's History Volumes 1 and 2 are our family's "top pick" of new materials for this school year.

Thomas Woods, Jr. wrote a book to amend the erroneous attitude prevalent in society today – the Catholic Church has had only a negative impact on Western Civilization. Titled, How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, Dr. Woods, a history professor at a community college in New York, details the many contributions of the Catholic Church throughout history, primarily during the “Dark Ages” and “Middle Ages”.

From science to natural law, from the university system to the system of architecture, from the theories of free-market economies to the theories of morality, Dr. Woods details the influence and innovations of the Catholic Church.

This is not an unbiased, unemotional textbook. Dr. Woods states from the beginning that he is trying to show his students, and his readers, that the Church was in the forefront as the Western World began to civilize, began to make laws to protect the innocent, began to build and trade and participate in the world. Woods’ love of his Church and desire to set the record straight are prevalent throughout the text.

Using contemporary and modern scholars’ work, Dr. Woods defends his thesis admirably. Often quoting even those who are known anti-Church voices – including Martin Luther -- the history professor gives his reader lessons on the Benedictines’ actions which helped spread the Gospel and keep the “light of civilization” burning during the reign of Barbarianism known as the “Dark Ages”. He also gives a detailed account of the spread of monasticism and the many examples of the spread of practical, technical, charitable and educational skills accomplished by these monks.
Today’s university system is also beholden to the Church for the ability to debate, discover and develop new theories of life. He explains that the creation of the university system, directed by the Church, was committed to reason and rational argument and that there was a spirit of inquiry that has amounted to “a gift from the Latin Middle Ages to the Modern World”. Further, the Church is responsible for retaining much of the valuable scholarship from the ancient times: “massive translation efforts brought forth many of the great works of the ancient world….including the geometry of Euclid; the logic, metaphysics, natural philosophy and ethics of Aristotle; and the medical work of Galen.”

Woods explains that science is another field where the Church has been unfairly disparaged in recent times. Astronomy (even with the problems with Galileo), optics, biology, geology, seismology are just a few of the subjects where Catholic religious and laymen delved and developed theories and understandings.

Law – natural, international and modern – can also be tracked to the influence and innovation of the Catholic Church. Economics and the free-market theories are a direct contribution of Jesuit scholars – long before the eighteenth century theorists who get the bulk of the credit for free-market theories.

Dr. Woods’ book can become a bit didactic in his vehemence to set the record straight. The reader must understand that this book has a stated bias and must further understand that Dr. Woods is championing a cause that negates much of the history all of us have learned. That said, this is a book that all Catholics should read – a book that will help us all to explain to others the great contributions of our Church over the past two centuries. Interestingly, Southern Catholic College, a newly formed Catholic school in Georgia uses this book for their Freshman History text book.

There are a wealth of good and interesting books about the two World Wars: The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum, Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery, Flying Aces of World War I by Gene Gurney and many others. After reading a number of these, I began to wish for a book with pictures of the various types of airplanes in order to understand and appreciate the stories better.

I searched for such a guide unsuccessfully for a year or more before I happened to visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. where I came upon this little gem in the gift shop.

This 5" x 7 1/2" guidebook has a friendly size and tough binding for little hands. (We've had ours for over two years and it has held up very nicely.) It organizes the aircraft into five categories: World War I, Inter-War, World War II, Postwar and Helicopters. The categories are easy to find with color bars alongside each left-hand page. The book was written in the U.K. and thus does not focus on various smaller wars since World War II, but the "Postwar" and "Helicopter" segments do include some information about the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Also keep in mind that this is a guidebook for "Historic" Aircraft and thus does not include aircraft that is in use by military today.

Each two page spread includes a fact page on the lefthand side and a full-color photo of a restored or replica airplane that is in flying condition. The fact page includes a paragraph explaining the aircraft's history and features along with detailed specifications: name, type, accomodation, dimensions, weight, speed, range, first flight date, etc.

The book is a little expensive (around $25) and not an absolutely essential ingredient in the study of history, but we've found it to be a really nice supplement. It might make a great Christmas or Birthday present for your young World War II buff.

The Learning Calendar is a wonderful, easy-to-use teaching tool. It is an award winning calendar of 365 historical facts with dozens of simple activity ideas and trivia questions. The calendar is quite large so that a paragraph of information will fit on each day. It's colorful, well-designed and easy to read. Most days also include a picture or drawing of the person or event. Geography is included by asking the student to find the country or city mentioned in the entry for the day. In addition, there is a map of the world at the back of the calendar for students to trace the travels of the explorers mentioned on the calendar.

We have ours in the back hall so that we can review the event of the day while either putting shoes/coats/boots on or off.

It is a wonderful way to learn bit by bit. It isn't overwhelming, it invites further learning (asking you to find something on a map, or encouraging people to follow the example of a great person such as Blessed Mother Teresa) as well as encouraging the student to think about a wide variety of historical figures.

Additional free activities corresponding to the calendar pages can be found at the web site. Crosswords, wordsearches, mazes and other printables are available. In addition, links are found to the web sites of related historical events mentioned on the calendar.

It only takes 30 seconds a day to learn a little bit more about history with this calendar.